How to Choose the Right Lift Kit
Pedders Suspension & Brakes offers a wide range of Lift Kit options for many popular 4x4 vehicles, including Ranger, Hilux, LandCruiser, D-Max, MU-X, Triton, Everest, and many more.
When it comes to choosing the right 4x4 lift kit to suit your needs, there are many variables to consider such as Shock Absorber type, ride height, load requirements and towing needs. Choosing a lift kit is not a one size fits all scenario, which is why Pedders tailor each lift kit to the vehicle and customer's exact requirements.
In this guide we will explore the different options available when selecting a lift kit and how you can avoid choosing a lift kit that isn't fit for purpose!
Shock Absorber Choice
At Pedders we offer two types of 4x4 Shock Absorbers with our suspension lift kits - Nitrogen Gas and Foam Cell. Pedders Nitrogen Gas Shock Absorbers shocks offer a larger bore and piston size than most standard shocks, providing increased oil capacitry for improved ride control and comfort.
Stepping up to our premium Foam Cell 4x4 Shock Absorber offers unique advantages over the Nitrogen Gas shock as well as other aftermarket shocks. The Foam Cell Shock Absorber uses a specialised technology that virtually eliminates shock fade as the unique design stops the oil mixing with any air inside the shock.
Foam Cell Shock Absorbers also feature an extra large bore and piston, providing greater oil capacity and ride comfort, over and above the Nitrogen Gas shock.
Choosing the Right Front Spring
There are two main considerations when choosing a front spring for your 4x4 lift kit - height requirements and load rating.
Depending on what accessories may be fitted to the front of the car, the customer may require a heavy-duty front spring which is designed to support additional weight.
It's common for most 4x4 vehicles to experience sagging after adding a heavy bull bar to the front of the car as the springs have to carry more weight or a constant load. This is where a heavy-duty spring upgrade can help to level out the vehicle.
Common front spring options include:
- Raised height standard load
- Raised height constant load
- Standard height constant load
Choosing the Right Rear Spring
The same considerations as choosing a front spring apply to choosing the rear spring for your 4x4 lift kit. We have to take a look at the height and load requirements.
Depending on what accessories may be fitted to the rear of your 4x4 and the weight of any trailers you may be towing, we can specify a rear spring option to best suit your needs. Pedders offer standard load as well as heavy-duty constant load springs in varying weight ranges depending on the application.
Pedders offer three types of rear springs depending on the vehicle - Coil Springs, traditional Leaf Springs and Parabolic Leaf Springs.
Parabolic Leaf Springs offer unique advantages over traditional leaf springs and featured tapered leafs which offer enhanced ride comfort and articulation over traditional leafs, while still maintaining a high load capacity.
Common rear spring options include:
- Raised height standard load
- Raised height constant load
- Standard height constant load
- Parabolic Leaf Springs
Upper Control Arm Upgrade
When a vehicle is raised with a lift kit it can often disrupt the factory-set steering geometry which can cause Caster and Camber angles to be outside the original specifications. Pedders eXtreme Upper Control Arms are designed to maintain desirable geometry for lifted vehicles while giving clearance for increased wheel and tyre sizes.
Depending on the vehicle, we recommend installing our eXtreme Upper Control Arms on most 4x4s that have been raised by more than 40mm.
Pedders 4x4 eXtreme Upper Control Arms are manufactured from carbon steel tube for optimum strength and durability, and they have been engineered for extreme off-road use.
Levelling your vehicle?
Travelling under constant load? Vehicle looks slanted from all the extra weight you’re carrying, but you don’t want a lift kit? Pedders has you covered. We offer a range of solutions to “level” out your vehicle, no matter what suspension set up you are running. We can restore your vehicle’s ride height by using heavy-duty components that are specially designed to support heavy loads. We can even increase the legal Payload capacity of your vehicle with a Pedders GVM+ Upgrade.
We can tailor a custom solution for your vehicle utilising a range of components to make your vehicle look and perform how it should.